Customer Reviews

Eis Thanaton / Theophany

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"Theophany" is worth the price of the disc alone. It is like no other piece of music on earth, primarily because it sets out to depict things that are not of this earth. Tavener depicts the voice of God through tape effects that are brilliantly interspersed with the more traditional and worldly sounds of the live orchestra. It is to the credit of Richard Hickox and Jeremy Birchall that this work has such an amazing impact. I simply cannot stop listening to it and can recommend it to anyone looking for something to stop people in their tracks. Meanwhile, "Eis Thanaton" is a bit harder to swallow- what a shame that the original Greek text is not printed so we can follow the work more closely! Nevertheless, it is a moving and effective presentation- a particular highlight being the entry of Patricia Rozario as the apparition at the beginning of track 2. On the whole, this disc is unmissable, particularly to Tavener addicts, and in the case of "Theophany" should certainly pique the interest of casual listeners.

Honestly, time will tell with this one. Perhaps someday in the future it will be generally agreed that this is a kitschy composition. I've been listening to it every so often ever since this CD came out a few years ago, though, and it remains one of my favorites by Tavener (and I've collected about 20 CDs with his music). Comment for Beatles fans: Tavener was an "Apple Corps" artist (The Whale). At the end of "Theophany" there is a buildup to a catastrophe of sound and then a long falling-away. See if it doesn't remind you of the end of "A Day in the Life."